More Faces of December

Red Cross volunteers joined families to welcome home 12 members of the Ohio National Guard. This unit served overseas for one year.

The Faces of December

Our Rapid Response Team braved the cold temperatures to canvass the Franklinton community with fire safety information. A week before, three people tragically lost their lives in a home fire.

A Busy December

Volunteers talk with a Franklinton resident about the importance of having working smoke alarms.

 

 

Forget the sweater. Give a gift that matters.

When a home fire occurs, children and families are often exposed to the elements. Give warm, cozy blankets that will protect them from the cold and help them sleep comfortably in Red Cross shelters when they can’t return to their home.  $60 buys 10 blankets. $18 will provide three blankets. Give a gift that matters at www.redcross.org/gifts.

As Weather Turns Colder, Don’t Allow Alternate Heating Methods Lead to Home Fires

Almost 50 people spent Sunday night in American Red Cross shelters in West Virginia, Illinois and California after fire hit their multi-family dwellings. Home fires are the biggest disaster threat to people in this country – worse than floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. Every day, the Red Cross responds to as many as 170 home fires – that’s one fire every eight minutes.

With the onset of winter and colder weather, people will be turning up their thermostats to stay warm. Many will resort to alternate heating methods to cut down on costs. Supplemental heating sources can be dangerous if not used properly. The Red Cross urges caution when using heating alternatives and offers the following safety tips on how to prevent fires:

• Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and furnaces professionally inspected once a year.
• Never use a stove or oven to heat the home.
• Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. 
• Turn off space heaters or extinguish the fireplace before going to bed or leaving home. 
• Place a space heater on a hard, level, nonflammable surface.  Do not put space heaters on rugs or carpets, near bedding or drapes, and keep children and pets away.  Look for a space heater model that shuts off automatically if the heater falls over.
• When using a fireplace, use a glass or metal screen large enough to catch sparks or rolling logs and keep the fire in the fireplace.
• Keep all flammable materials such as newspapers, matches, bedding, clothing, carpets and rugs at least three feet away from heat sources such as space heaters, fireplaces and stoves.

Smoke alarms save lives. People should:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of their home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
• Check monthly that smoke alarms are working properly by pushing the test button.
• Replace batteries in smoke alarms at least once a year.
• Replace smoke alarms every ten years.

Planning for fire emergencies is important. Make sure all household members know two ways to escape from every room of the home, and set up a meeting place outside in case of fire. Practice escaping from the home at least twice a year and at different times of the day. Teach household members to stop, drop and roll if their clothing should catch on fire.

For more information on what you can do to keep you and your loved ones safe, visit the “Help Prevent Home Fires” section of our website.

Donors and Volunteers Instrumental in Preventing and Responding to Disasters

During this season of renewed hope and thanksgiving, the American Red Cross of Greater Columbus reflects gratefully on the generosity of our donors and selflessness of the volunteers who enable us to help our neighbors who faced disasters and other emergencies this year.

Here at home, across the country, and around the globe, our donors and Red Cross volunteers made personal sacrifices to enable us to teach lifesaving skills like first aid and CPR, to provide a vital link between military members separated from their families, to respond to disasters large and small, to accept and distribute lifesaving blood to hospitals, and to transport senior citizens and others to essential medical appointments.    

This year, for example, the Columbus Red Cross responded to hundreds of local home fires, America’s most frequent disaster.  24/7/365, our volunteers brought meals, blankets, safe shelter and shoulders to cry on to families; helping them to get started on the road to recovery. We also trained thousands of local citizens to prepare for disasters before they happen, deployed more than a dozen local volunteers to bring relief to the victims of the spring floods and tornadoes that ravaged eight states, and supported relief operations for the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

We don’t know what 2012 will bring, but a year without disasters and other emergencies is unlikely. What’s certain is that the American Red Cross, supported by our donors and volunteers, will answer the call whenever and from wherever it comes.

Heartfelt thanks to all who are part of our work.

Michael Carroll
CEO
American Red Cross of Greater Columbus

Holiday Mail Brings Smiles to Men and Women Serving in our Military

Even in the age of email, Facebook and Twitter, there’s still nothing like receiving a card or letter sent from home; it’s a major morale boost for the men and the women in the U.S. Armed Forces. Cards have a special way of transporting warriors from their military duties home to loved ones. That’s why the American Red Cross is encouraging Americans to send thanks and holidays greetings as part of its Holiday Mail for Heroescampaign.For a fifth year, the Red Cross, with the help of Pitney Bowes, is collecting, screening and distributing holiday cards for members of our U.S. military, veterans and their families, many of whom will be far away from home this holiday season. To participate, send your cards postmarked no later than December 9 to: 

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Holiday Mail for Heroes is a natural extension of the Red Cross’ 130-year tradition of serving those in the military.Through its Service to the Armed Forces division, the Red Cross provides military and veteran health care facilities, emergency communications and social services to the more than 2 million military members, National Guard and Reservists and 23 million veterans and their families.

Through a network of chapters and stations at home and around the world, the Red Cross works on behalf of the American public to ensure that our military personnel get help whenever and wherever they need it—whether it is a crisis back home, an injury in the line of duty or the transition into civilian life after serving. The Red Cross also gives service members the comfort of knowing someone is there for their families, allowing our heroes to stay focused on their mission.

Deployments can place a tremendous strain on service members and their families, so the Red Cross connects loved ones with a robust information and referral network of social service options, including a number of educational programs that help military families deal with everyday stressors as they deal with their loved one’s deployment.

Returning service members and their families can take part in Reconnection Workshops, Presented by Walmart. These individual and small group discussions focus on several topics including communication and dealing with trauma. The workshops aim to help service members transition back into their life at home.

The Red Cross ensures that service members and their families stay in touch with each other, especially during a crisis through our Emergency Communication Network, which includes a 24/7 global emergency communication service at military installations worldwide. That toll-free line is (877) 272-7337. In addition to helping families and loved ones reach service members in times of crises, the Red Cross also staffs and operates on-base internet cafes and lounges in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Djibouti, where troops can relax and connect with home.

Red Cross staff and volunteers serve in military hospitals and clinics around the world and in VA medical facilities across the nation. Red Cross Service to Armed Forces volunteers work in libraries, bringing magazines, books and comfort items to patients. They also provide companionship and personal services; manage volunteer programs; and participate in outreach opportunities through community-based outpatient clinics, nursing homes and home visitations.

 

To learn more about the Services to the Armed Forces the Red Cross provides, click here.

 

About the author: Peter Macias is an Air Force veteran and  the communications director for service to the Armed Forces at the American Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, DC. The American Red Cross is a non-profit organization.

Enjoy a Safe Thanksgiving!

The kitchen is the place where family and friends love to gather, but it is also the setting of more fires than any other room in the house.

Cooking is the number one cause of home fires in this country and during the holidays, the American Red Cross wants everyone to be aware of steps they should take to avoid a fire while cooking.

Start by not wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking. Never leave cooking food unattended – stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove. Other safety steps include:

• Check your food regularly while cooking and remain in the home while cooking. Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.
• Keep the kids away from the cooking area. Enforce a “kid-free zone” and make them stay at least three feet away from the stove.
• Keep anything that can catch fire – pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains—away from your stove, oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
• Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
• Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen. Contact your local fire department to take training on the proper use of extinguishers.
• Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving the home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.
• Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year.

The Red Cross responded to more than 62,960 home fires during the 2011 fiscal year. House fires are the worst disaster threat to families in the United States. To learn how to prevent a fire in your home and how to keep members of your household safe, you can download The Red Cross Fire Prevention and Safety Checklist. Downloadable fact sheets are also available at www.redcross.org on how to be fire safe over the holidays, how to avoid home heating fires, candle safety, proper use of smoke alarms and teaching your children what to do in the event of a fire.

AmeriCorps Member Makes His Debut

As I approached the front door of Bishop Hartley High School, several questions buzzed through my mind. Would anyone show up at my table? Would I completely forget what to say? Would I be mistaken for a student because of my young-looking face? It has been six years since I was a high school senior, so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep up with the new generation of students who update their Facebook statuses more frequently than Luke Fickell makes the wrong call during a Buckeye game.

As a new AmeriCorps member of the Volunteer Resources team, I was tasked with recruiting new volunteers for the chapter along with my fellow AmeriCorps member, Miya Cleveland. Together, we headed to the private Catholic school southeast of Bexley to our first recruitment fair without our supervisor.

Minutes after we bolstered our table with American Red Cross takeaways, students filtered into the high school’s gymnasium. This was the moment of truth. My heart raced. Sweat rivered down the creases of my palms. If I faked illness now, I could escape without making any presentations. But as soon as I finished my thought, a group of juniors and seniors crowded around the table, blocking my exit. It was too late.

I took a deep breath. I said the only thing I could remember at that point. “Hi, my name is Ken.” Instantly, I felt better and a smile blossomed on my face. “I’m here with the American Red Cross of Greater Columbus.”

To my amazement, the students didn’t run away screaming. Within minutes, I was bantering with the students, teasing them about how my ID badge was better than theirs while also discussing the volunteer opportunities available for them. I was surprised to find how bright and engaged they seemed to be. Before leaving the table, they wrote their contact information on a sheet of paper and urged me to call them right away.

By the end of the day, nearly 250 students signed the sheet. They took all the business cards and pamphlets that I brought. At that moment, I knew I had made the right choice to join AmeriCorps at the American Red Cross.

Thanks to Ken Ward, AmeriCorps member, for this post!

A Woman and Her Dog

Home fires can happen anywhere, at anytime and leave even the most prepared person feeling victimized. Many fire victims experience shock and worry among a number of other emotions in a fire’s aftermath, and it’s important for them to know that someone cares about them and their well-being. Last October, a Columbus woman found out just how valuable that kind of care and support can be.

Melissa’s life changed when her condo caught fire, injuring herself and her dog, Bullet. The fire started when when candles came into contact with curtains. 

Despite being forced to spend time in the hospital, Melissa has managed to find one bright spot in this disaster – the American Red Cross. After being reluctant to accept assistance at the scene of the fire, Melissa decided to turn to the Red Cross for support while she was hospitalized, including food, clothing and shoes for when she was released, as well as food for Bullet. Melissa was so happy with her experience with the Red Cross she wrote a letter expressing gratitude .

It’s clear through Melissa’s words that she understands the severity of the fire and just how precious life truly is. Both she and Bullet have done well in the aftermath of the fire and plans were made to have the condo refurbished. Thankfully for Melissa, she’s had family, friends and the Red Cross providing the care and support needed to help her get back on her feet.

This October, as we recognize Fire Prevention Month,the Red Cross encourages you to take a moment to review your family’s disaster plan. Download a fire prevention and safety checklist and practice your escape plan.